Topless, Knocked Up, and in the Snow.

We all know of the supermeme that is awkward (insert subject here) photos. I quite love them. In fact, every time I pass someone with a particularly fantastic mullet, I am tempted beyond all reason to covertly photgraph them. Yesterday, I saw a man with spikes on top, and a perm in the back. It was glorious. He was unabashedly himself, and I envied his confidence to pull off such a look.

I am quite disappointed that during my pregnancies, I did not think to stage an awkward photo or two. Something to send the kids on the Christmas of their 21st year. Something to frame and force my mother to hang in her office. Perhaps, I’d have been mostly nude, very pregnant, and made up to look like a zombie….or scarlet letter’d woman….or holding an automatic rifle–strategically placed. Oh how I hate a missed opportunity. Too bad I was too busy puking to care.

a week before I had the peanut.

Sorry, Jenn, when you breed, you’re sooooooo going to end up topless in your Captain’s (not to be confused with “the Captain”) BDU’s on a a snow covered field. That WILL happen.

It would most definitely express my personality without embodying it. I am wacky, and goofy, and there’s no one on earth I relish making fun of more than myself. (ok..and reality television stars, but they’re effing BEGGING for it.)

It took me so many years to love who I am instead of wanting to be someone I’m not. I never felt good enough, or smart enough, or worthy enough. I felt like nothing because I convinced myself I was nothing. I wanted to be someone, anyone, other than the person I was. It’s much harder to convince yourself that you are worthy than you may think. Once I realized that, and realized my friends loved me for whom I was, I could accept myself for who I am.

I knew one thing in return, I love my friends because they love whom they are.

I am me. You are you. That is beautiful.

I now know much better what I truly am, as well as who I truly am.

I am a mom, an actor, a bookworm, a runner, a cook. I am a joyful, sarcastic extrovert, who doesn’t mind that she’s a bit on the sensitive side.

Who are you?

What we all (hopefully) are is joy, sorrow, love, hate, expression; introverted, extroverted, pride, and humility. We are all of us all of these things, and none of these things.

How amazing it is that we can all recognize and embrace these qualities in others? Why is it so hard to recognize and embrace them in ourselves? Why does it so often feel as though what we are isn’t enough??

Not rich enough, not educated enough, not political enough, too political, too rich, too educated. We are so often stuck in the “whats” of ourselves and not the “whos”. Especially just about this time of year, every four years or so…(I am so over this election already)

You’re a republican! Great!!! I make my own charcuterie! What’s your point?? Let’s just eat the sausage and be happy for each other.

Or pancakes…let’s eat those with the sausage. Let’s eat what’s tasty now, because we have a month left of having to swallow loads of bullshit.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

They’re healthy as ever, filling as hell, and so, so good.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

by Cat Tan

Keywords: grill bread breakfast vegetarian

Ingredients

2 tbsp chia seeds let to sit in 6 tbsp water for 10 minutes

2/3 cup oats

2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup vanilla protein powder

6 oz 0% fat vanilla greek yogurt

2/3 cup coconut milk

1.5 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

combine all wet ingredients into a slurry

sift in dry ingredients

stir gently

fry as you would any pancakes, 1/3 cup at a time, on medium, flipping when bubbles appear and pop on the surface.